RAW FED PUPS VS. KIBBLE FED PUPS- PICTURES - Page 5

I have a dog goes off of her kibble about 3 weeks into the pregnancy.  She is already lean, so after she whelped it took forever to get weight back on her.  Last time she was fed chicken and rice mostly up until she gave birth.  This time I'm feeding her raw chicken quarters, rice, and some satin balls with yogurt.  I'm going to try to get some chicken hearts/gizzards to add into the mix as well.  I don't know if it's really good for her, but I was wondering about it.  Any input to maybe balance it out some would be appreciated though. Thoughts anyone???

jenn, as much as I love you for Capri, I have to disagree.

I feed the kibble recommended by professional handler Scott Yeargin as the only one he has found to put coat on dogs in the south. He makes his living on dogs in good condition.

Nancy Schineder has finished over 40 AKC Champions feeding Sam's Exceed. Her dogs always have excellent coat.

I have gone head to head with the top in the world and come out on top with my kibble fed GSD. Don't know what else to say, except that many of you underestimate the ability of the dog to thrive on what is available to him.

Rik

These aren't good pics, but they're all I have.

The black tri pup was raw fed from the age of 6 weeks. The sable pup was kibble fed. In the pics, they're 11 weeks.





and this is the black tri pup at 5 months (raw fed):

Personally...I support the raw feeding regimen.
I would love to feed my dogs a natural, whole meat & digestible veg, min grain diet.
But for "our" lifestyle....it is not realistic.
So we will continue to feed a quality kibble with added meats and trimmings.
I will also conclude...IMO....dog's that are fed "quality" kibble can and do look as healthy, as the dogs fed an exclusive raw diet.  I just happen to think an exclusive, correctly balanced raw diet would be a more "natural" diet, and of course because of that...be the most beneficial.

Again...this is just my personal opinion....

So, who has figured out that some dogs just will look good on any kind of food, and some will never really look that good ever, and most look pretty much the same no matter the food ? : )

 My dogs are raw fed, but like a few others have mentioned  you can and will harm your dog if you do not feed a CORRECT BALANCED RAW DIET. That means the correct ratios of Organ, Meat and Raw meaty bones as well as a variety of meat sources. I have 3 German Shepherds one being a 6 month pup, I see my pups littermate at training every week and he is kibble fed. The difference I see in my Raw fed dog compared to his Kibble fed littermate are size. My pup is growing at a much slower rate and is a few lbs lighter while his kibble fed brother Looks terrific but is just about the size of a full grown dog. His Kibble fed brother seemed to have pano a bit worse than my raw fed dog. It all could be a coincidence, who knows. I will email his owner and see if I can get some pictures and post pictures of my guy for comparison. In the end both dogs look great there are just subtle differences. I see nothing wrong with feeding a high quality kibble, just think raw is better.

as I've said numerous times when this subject comes up.....I feed my dogs a variety...kibble, raw, pasta, table scraps....whatever! I have never had an issue with my dogs health....never!

Rik, I have said before and I will continue to say it: Just because they CAN thrive on it does not mean they should HAVE to. I have a big problem with "good enough". 

Skin and coat are relatively easy things to quickly "fix". That doesn't mean that over time, other things aren't taking more of a beating than necessary due to less than optimal nutrition. You are also talking about genetics of dogs bred for generations for a certain look and coat type. You can go a loooong way on crap with the proper genes, but again, WHY would you do that? Just because you can? I guess I think too highly of my dogs for that.

Personally, I look largely the same whether I eat Italian beef and fries every single day or whether I eat well. I don't get fat (don't hate me, lol), I don't get sick, my hair is still shiny (all that fat, probably, lol) and I feel fine. But does that mean I should do that? Over time, when I stop doing that and eat well, I feel "better" somehow (placebo maybe?) in a way I can't really explain, but if I can do that for my dogs, who have no voice in their nutrition (unless I turn them all loose), then I will. 

And, while I appreciate your love for Capri, if we must break up over this (though I'm hoping not!), it's ok. No hard feelings, my friend. 

In closing, the biggest thing to me that people miss is all the tiny, nagging problems that most people don't even see as problems. They just accept it as "normal." Not every dog will have these, of course. And, of course, I try to deal with only superior genetics, but I still want to do my part to make them as healthy and happy as possible. As I said, "good enough" is never good enough for me. I want "the best." 

    Ava, Ava, Ava,......still having a weak moment...: )

Quote:  I just happen to think an exclusive, correctly balanced raw diet would be a more "natural" diet,

Dogs have been eating dog food for how long ? At what point is the "natural" no longer the "natural" ?? Do we really know what a dog would eat in the "wild" anymore ?